If That's The Way You Need It
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: Dalton and Crawford, as part of tradition, are putting on a joint production and it's none other than Rock of Ages. Nick is playing lead opposite the most awful girl he's ever met and he dreads rehearsals. That is, until someone has to take over her part for a few days and a sexy blonde boy steps up to help out. Niff, also Thadbastian. ONESHOT


**I finally got around to watching Rock of Ages and instantly fell in love - best movie ever! Although being a fangirl and a shipper, I couldn't help but see both Niff and Klaine in the roles of Drew and Sherrie. And then Sebastian became Stacee Jaxx and I couldn't not write this. **

**Niff, Thadbastian pairings. **

_**Bold italics**_** are Jeff singing. **

* * *

Nick was not looking forward to this particular rehearsal.

As he made his way as slowly as he could to Dalton's Arts Hall, he mulled over why he'd even thought auditioning for the lead in the stupid musical was a good idea.

Every year, Dalton and its sister school, Crawford, joined together and put on some sort of performance. Last year the schools' two glee clubs had been forced to work together and perform some songs for the rest of the school. Nick still remembered the chaos that had gone on behind the scenes with the diva-esque leader of the Canaries – the Warblers had been warned about Caroline DuPont, but no one had quite been ready for her psychotic and manipulative behaviour. In the end, she'd taken over everything, resulting in the most awkward and embarrassing performance the Warblers had ever been a part of. Even when Thad had neglected to mention he was ill during Sectionals a few years back and proceeded to throw up onstage hadn't been as bad.

And now the schools were at it again. Nick wasn't sure why they hadn't cancelled it after the disastrous performance last year, but apparently it was full steam ahead for this year's production – a musical. Rock of Ages, to be precise. Everyone had been cautiously optimistic about it, and being one of the most popular boys in the Warblers, Nick had been 'convinced' to audition for the lead and easily got it – but he hadn't realised he'd be working side by side with Crazy Caroline again. Somehow she'd managed to connive her way into scoring the female lead opposite him – maybe she'd just scared the crap out of the guys in charge.

The whole thing was being run by the two schools' respective drama classes. They were in charge of everything – auditions to costumes to sets and everything in between. And so far they'd been _awful_ at their job – Caroline had done her worst again and taken over. The last he'd heard – he'd been hiding from her as much as possible, though he didn't think he could fake being sick much longer – was that she'd replaced half the Dalton cast with her own friends from Crawford. Trent was especially _furious_ at being recast as Justice, the owner of the strip club, by some 'talentless, stupid bitch who wouldn't know what good acting was if it ran up in front of her and bitchslapped her across the face'. According to Trent, anyway. Nick was pretty sure Trent was holding himself back from slapping said 'bitch' to prove his point as Caroline still scared him.

Nick sighed as he finally reached the Arts Hall and stopped outside the door. He really didn't want to have to deal with Caroline – he knew the girl would demand to know where he'd been and why he hadn't shown up to the numerous rehearsals she'd forced on everyone. But he didn't have much of a choice, and so hesitantly he pushed open the door and walked inside.

The atmosphere in the room surprised him. There was no shouting, no temper tantrums being thrown, no fear at all. And the second thing he noticed was that there was a distinct lack of Caroline.

A couple of the boys in the room saw him enter and they grinned at him, running over.

"You'll never guess," Thad laughed as he approached, seeing Nick's wary face.

"I probably won't," he said "Where's Caroline?"

He was pretty sure Trent's face was going to split in two if his grin got any larger. "She's sick."

Nick frowned. "But she's _never _sick."

"Well, apparently she's throwing up and everything," Kurt said. Nick glanced in his direction – Kurt had transferred earlier in the year and had been told many times of the dramatic Caroline and the awful group performance last year. Nick could have sworn he was smirking. Kurt continued, tossing his head and finally he actually smiled a little. "From what I heard, she went out for dinner with her boyfriend. Breadstix, I believe. It's supposed to be terrible food poisoning."

Nick raised an eyebrow. Breadstix was notorious for random bouts of food poisoning – it was a wonder it hadn't been closed yet. And it was also in Lima. Half an hour away. Where Kurt lived.

"I don't suppose someone happened to mention Breadstix to her?" Nick asked casually. Kurt's smile widened. "She was prattling on about her stupid date. I thought I'd offer a nice place to go. It's hardly my fault she got sick."

"She could be dead for all I care," Trent said "It means she's not here to scream at me and make my eardrums bleed, and it means I can take back my rightful place."

He gestured over his shoulder to the girl that had replaced him, sitting in a corner crying. "She's not so confident without Caroline around."

"Did you make her cry?" Nick asked, but he already knew the answer. Trent was a sassy and sarcastic son of a bitch when he wanted to be, and sometimes he couldn't quite control himself. The boy shrugged but Nick saw the gleam in his eye.

"Anyway, I should go," he said, glancing behind him to the stage, which was set up for one of the scenes – the strip club, it looked like. "I'm on. We're practicing Any Way You Want It."

"But that's got Caroline in it." Nick frowned.

It was Thad who spoke next as Trent ran off, pointing up at the stage. "Jeff offered to play her part until she's back."

Nick saw a number of people preparing the stage for the practice run, most of them from the drama classes and the supposed ones in charge. He wasn't sure who Thad was pointing out at first, but when he finally figured it out he blinked, _sure_ he hadn't seen this boy before. The blonde was helping with setting up the stripper pole at the front of the stage, mumbling something to himself under his breath. Nick couldn't hear what it was over the noise of everyone chatting and working in the room, but he would have bet that it was song lyrics. Nick looked him up and down appreciatively – he was wearing a white wifebeater and denim shorts that only reached his mid-thigh, and probably would have looked better on a girl. But Nick couldn't deny his ass looked good in them.

"Who's he?" the brunette asked, not taking his eyes off the temporary standby for his evil queen of a co-star. Thad smirked. "He's in the drama class. He was the only one out of the whole lot of them to offer up as Crazy Caroline's replacement. I was talking to some of the other drama guys – apparently he's teaching the girls the choreography."

"Oh," was all Nick said.

"Thad!"

The harsh voice made them all jump, and for a moment they were afraid Caroline had just swept in, perfectly healthy and ready to go. But it wasn't her – it was Sebastian, walking towards the three boys. He ignored Nick and Kurt – he only had eyes for Thad, who looked away from his gaze. Nick resisted the urge to chuckle at his friend's predicament – it was a well-known fact throughout Dalton – and Crawford now – that Thad had a huge crush on the new student and was too afraid – and in Sebastian's own words, too stuck-up and proper – to do much about it. Sebastian hadn't taken long to catch onto it and now both were locked in some strange sort of battle – Sebastian determined to get into Thad's pants and Thad running as fast as he could from him.

"What's this I hear about you taking over for Farrah?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow and Thad's face flushed red with embarrassment. Nick stared. Farrah Hawkins was playing the reporter that fell in love with Stacee Jaxx – who happened to be being played by Sebastian.

"I-I… David pushed me into it!" Thad half-squeaked, then cleared his throat. "David said Farrah was going to be gone for a few days because her aunt died, and they needed a replacement. He volunteered me before I could say anything. Don't think it means anything."

Nick and Kurt couldn't contain themselves any longer – they started to laugh, Nick holding onto Kurt's shoulder for support. Thad glared at them but Sebastian didn't take his gaze away from Thad for a second. "Well. According to _David_, we're rehearsing I Want To Know What Love Is today." He patted Thad on the back, before slipping down a little lower and squeezing his ass and saying, "Be ready, okay?"

The boy strode off and Nick couldn't help but notice Thad staring after him.

"Why did I say yes?" Thad moaned, dropping his face into his hands "I hate David!"

"Oh, you mean that story was actually true?" Kurt sniggered "I thought maybe you volunteered yourself."

"Shut up," Thad muttered, walking away. Nick burst out into laughter again, standing up properly and wiping tears from his eyes. "God, they really need to get a move on. Either Sebastian asks him out-"

"Which is never going to happen," Kurt butted in.

"Or Thad just forgets his morals and whatever and just sleeps with him."

"Which is never going to happen."

Nick sighed. "Yeah. Probably not."

He was distracted by a dimming in the chatter around them and he looked up to the stage to see Trent up there, along with some of the dancers from Crawford playing the strippers (and various other extra parts) and Jeff, all in their places. Someone called for quiet and then nodded to Trent, who nodded in return. A second later the music started up and Trent was perfectly on time, belting out the lyrics like he was born to do so.

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want_

_She loves to laugh  
She loves to sing  
She does everything_

_She loves to move  
She loves to groove  
She loves the lovin' things_

Jeff was sat in a chair in the middle of the stage, and the girls danced around him, trying to pull him from his seat but he resisted. Nick couldn't take his eyes off him as the blonde played his part well, pretending to be afraid of getting up and dancing with them.

_One night  
All night  
Oh every night_

_So hold tight  
Hold tight  
(Oh baby hold tight)_

_She said any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_She said any way you want it  
That the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

Now it was Trent's turn to come up to Jeff and convince him to get up. But once more Jeff resisted, shaking his head and doing a rather good impression of worry and confusion. At one point he was pulled out of the chair and along the stage a few paces by some of the dancers, but he tore himself from their grip and returned, though there was clear curiosity on his face.

_I was alone  
I never knew  
What good love could do_

_Ooh, then we touched  
Then we sang  
About the loving things_

_Hold on  
Hold on  
Hold on_

Now, as the girls danced around him and Trent gestured to the stripper pole, Jeff seemed to be thinking about it, almost getting up but realising what he was doing just in time. Nick stared at him, mesmerised. He was a much better actor than Caroline was, and if only he'd been a girl he could have played the part in the actual show. But then again, if he'd been a girl then there was no way Nick would have been anywhere near as interested in him.

_Oh_

_She said any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_Any way_

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_Oh_

_She said any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_Any way_

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_**Any way**_

Nick's eyes widened as he heard Jeff's voice for the first time, strong and powerful. It didn't look like a voice as amazing as that could come from him – he had the body and general look of a dancer, not a singer who could belt out lyrics like he'd just done.

Jeff, seemingly filled with confidence, got up from the chair and walked purposely towards the pole. On either side of him the dancers chanted, urging him on and almost pushing him the last few steps.

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it_

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it_

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it_

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it_

_**Any way**_

Nick couldn't get over that _voice_. At least, he didn't think he could. But then when Jeff reached the front of the stage and sung for his life, the note carrying on for what seemed like ages, he grabbed the pole and swung, one leg hooked around it. Nick's jaw dropped as Jeff moved with practiced precision, and now he understood the shorts. His body clung to the pole and though his dance moves were simple and nothing too sexy – the show would have been cancelled in a flash otherwise – Nick couldn't deny that if Jeff had wanted to, he could have _owned_ that pole and had every guy and girl in the place lusting after him, gay or straight.

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_**Any way**_

_Any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

_Oh, she said any way you want it  
That's the way you need it  
Any way you want it_

He wasn't sure how, but somehow Jeff ended the song upside down, legs holding him up on the pole and his back arched, arms outstretched. His wifebeater had ridden up and most of his torso was on display – much to Nick's delight – and he was panting with the exertion of keeping himself in place. As soon as the music ended and someone called "Fade to black, and that's it!" Jeff pulled himself back up and grabbed the pole, unhooking his legs and dropping down to the ground.

"Well, someone likes what he sees," Kurt commented, making Nick jump. He'd forgotten the other boy was there. Nick still couldn't look away as Jeff readjusted his shirt and congratulated Trent. The boy in question blinked in stunned amazement before stuttering out a reply.

"How in the _hell _can he do that?" Nick said, mostly to himself. But Kurt still heard and he shrugged. "He's amazing. And cute."

"Hey." Nick finally tore his eyes away and glared at the brunette next to him. "I thought you had a boyfriend."

"Your point?" Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Having a boyfriend doesn't mean I can't tell when a guy's good-looking." He paused for a moment, and they both looked back up to the stage. Jeff seemed a little embarrassed by the attention and praise being heaped on him, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously as Trent clapped him on the back and some of the girls crowded around him.

"You might want to go and say something to him before someone else gets to him first," Kurt said. Nick frowned at one of the girls who was blatantly flirting with Jeff, though he was glad to see the blonde looked a little freaked out and was trying to avoid her. He still had no idea if he was gay or not, or even if he already had a partner. It was unlikely that someone like Jeff wouldn't have been snapped up already, not with his body, cute hair, amazing voice and _serious_ pole dancing skills.

Taking Kurt's advice, Nick headed straight for the stage, not even noticing that Sebastian had since changed into his Stacee Jaxx costume and was trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to seduce Thad who was wildly looking around for an escape. He stepped up on to the stage and walked straight towards Jeff, clearing his throat to announce his arrival. Trent, behind Jeff, grinned and gave him a thumbs up before shooing the dancers away with the threat of losing their place in the production. Jeff looked up at Nick and his eyes widened slightly.

"Hi," the brunette said "I'm Nick. I'm playing…" Jeff spoke up before he could finish. "You're playing Drew."

Nick, though surprised at being interrupted, smiled at the sound of his voice. There was no sign of the stunning, powerful singing voice in his normal tone and had he met Jeff before hearing him sing, he still wouldn't have suspected it. Nick zoned back into the conversation as he realised Jeff was still speaking, looking very embarrassed. "God, I'm sorry. That sounded creepy. I don't…"

"It's fine," Nick smiled "You're Jeff, right? One of the drama kids? Why aren't you acting in the musical?"

Jeff shrugged, looking down at the ground awkwardly. "I'm not usually very good onstage. Sometimes I'm okay, but most of the time I kinda get stage fright." The blonde blushed. "I-I don't know why I just said that."

Nick laughed lightly. "I didn't see any sign of stage fright just then. That was _amazing_, by the way. Where the hell-"

"Did I learn to pole dance?" Jeff offered, face still red and staring down at the floor. "Both my parents are dance teachers – my mom does pole dancing lessons, and sometimes I help out. It's not just for strippers. It's just as good as any other dancing."

"That wasn't what I was going to ask," Nick said, which only made Jeff blush harder, if that was possible, and cover his face with his hand "Though I think I would have eventually. I was going to ask where the hell that _voice _comes from."

"Oh," Jeff said quietly "I, uh, I just… sing. Apparently it's a family thing – my aunt's a singer, she's got a really powerful voice."

"So do you," Nick said "I never would have thought you had that voice inside there." He gestured to Jeff vaguely and the blonde finally looked up at him, though it was only for a second and then he was laughing nervously again, averting his eyes. "Thanks. I think."

"It was supposed to be a compliment. Maybe I should be less subtle – your voice is _amazing_. To be perfectly honest, so are your dance moves. And you're not bad-looking either."

It was the moment of truth, in a way. If Jeff ended up being straight, he'd just completely embarrassed himself. If he _was_ into guys but already had a boyfriend, then he'd again just completely embarrassed himself. He hoped for the best, smiling at the blonde and waiting for a reaction.

It was a little delayed. But when Jeff finally seemed to hear what Nick had said, or when it had sunk in, he started and twisted his hands in a semi-panic. "Uh, I-I, um, I should… go… stuff to do…" The blonde darted off as if he couldn't get away fast enough. Nick frowned, wondering if he'd just said entirely the wrong thing.

"Hey Nick, there you are…"

David's voice trailed off as he ran up to his friend, looking at him strangely. "Are you alright?"

Nick shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, fine. What's up?"

David grinned. "Well, I don't know if you know yet, but Wes and I came up with this _brilliant _plan to get Sebastian and Thad together…"

"You mean replacing Farrah with Thad?" Nick raised an eyebrow "What, did you kill her aunt?"

David rolled his eyes. "_No_, of course not. We convinced her to stay away from rehearsals for a couple of days in return for a date with Liam. Anyway, it's a great plan, isn't it? There's no _way_ they won't be together by the time Farrah comes back. I persuaded the drama kids to schedule I Want To Know What Love Is for today. They're not going to be able to resist each other! I mean, come _on_, even _I _think Sebastian looks hot as Stacee Jaxx, and I'm straight. They're going to be throwing each other down on tables for the scene – one of them has to break."

Nick half-listened as David ranted and rambled on about his plan, his mind more focused on the gorgeous blonde boy that had just run away from him. Perhaps being so forward had been a bad idea, and remaining subtle would have been the best solution.

But it was too late for that now. He was just going to have to win Jeff over – somehow.

* * *

David had been right, for once. As Thad's voice had broken trying to belt out the last long note of his part of the song, Sebastian, lying on the table with the boy sitting across his thighs, had had enough and sat up and kissed him. Thad had pushed him away to start with but it didn't take long before the pair were making out on the table prop, much to the annoyance of some of the girls who were hoping to catch Sebastian's eye despite the rumours about him and Thad, and to the delight of David and Wes.

The atmosphere of rehearsals shot from gloomy and depressive to fun and exciting for the days Caroline was gone. On the third day, as Trent and Jeff – who was still filling in for Caroline – were on stage practicing Harden My Heart, and Nick sat back watching his newfound love interest, no one bothered to give a second – or indeed, first – thought to the crazy bitch that had made all their lives a misery. Even the Crawford girls seemed happier, particularly the members of the Canaries. Farrah had since returned and wasn't surprised at all to find her co-star making out with Thad every chance he got. And Nick had been trying to be a little more subtle about his attraction to the hot blonde dancer, but even though they'd become better friends, there was no indication that it was ever going to be much more.

It was halfway through Trent and Jeff's Harden My Heart rendition that the door to the Arts Hall slammed open and everything fell silent, someone cutting the music, all chatter ceasing and the two singers' voices stopping mid-lyric.

Caroline stood in the doorway, in all her fake-tanned, blonde-haired, green-eyed glory. With hands on her hips, she sashayed into the room and let the door shut behind her with a loud thud. There was a hushed silence for a long moment as Caroline eyed everyone in the room before finally speaking.

"I hope you all missed me," she said, tossing her head "I know it'll have been hard to rehearse without your leading lady, and you'll probably be very behind, but…" She trailed off for a moment as she caught sight of Thad and Sebastian, half-hidden and the latter snatching the quickest kiss. She sneered at them and continued. "But we'll be able to get back on track now. The show is next week, so we'd better get…"

Caroline trailed off for a second time as she finally caught sight of the pair on the stage. Her expression became one of cold rage as she spat, "What are _you_ doing up there?"

It wasn't clear which one she was talking to. Both Jeff and Trent glanced at each other, not sure what to say or even if to say anything at all. Caroline walked up on to the stage, standing between them and glaring at both in turn. She settled on Jeff first and the look in her eyes was positively murderous – Nick felt sorry for the blonde that was clearly afraid of her wrath. And quite rightly so – the last time she'd really lost her temper she'd broken a number of important school items and nearly taken someone's head off with a vase. With a number of props at her disposal, it wasn't a good idea to upset her.

"I heard what you two were singing," Caroline hissed "That's one of _my_ songs. Why the hell are you singing one of my songs? Are you supposed to be my replacement or something?" She tossed her hair over her shoulders and eyed him suspiciously. "You're the dance guy, aren't you? Why don't you go back to your dirty little strip joint and leave us _respectable _people to our work?"

Nick opened his mouth to say something, hating how Jeff looked to be on the verge of tears at her statement, but didn't get a chance before she rounded on Trent.

"And you," she snapped "What do you think _you're_ doing? I thought I made it clear Carly was taking your place, seeing as the idiots in charge of the cast couldn't wrap their heads around the idea of a _female_ club owner as the movie _clearly _shows. Get off the stage, now."

Trent's jaw tensed and his hand flickered into a fist, but not even he was brave enough to face up to her, and so as Jeff turned and left the stage he moved to do the same.

Nick had had enough.

"Trent, don't go anywhere."

If there had been silence before, it was still as death as soon as Nick spoke. Caroline turned to him, arms folded. "What are you talking about?"

Nick squared his shoulders and stepped forward. "Caroline, I think you need to step down. Trent got the part fairly, and he deserves to keep it. In case you haven't noticed, you're not actually in charge here. They are." He gestured to some of the drama boys and girls and they looked as if they wanted the Earth to swallow them up as Caroline glared at them for a second, before returning her dark gaze to the person who had challenged her.

"I don't know what you think you're doing," she said "But…"

"I'm telling you how it is, Caroline," Nick shot back "And I've had enough of your crazy, possessive, diva behaviour. It's going to stop. Now. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you berate one more person. Trent deserve the spot more than anyone else in the room, and there was _no _need to talk to Jeff like that."

"I'll have you know…" Caroline's face was red with rage, fuming.

"Shut up."

There was a gasp. No one told Caroline DuPont to shut up. No one who wanted to keep their life – or their balls. But Nick stared at her as the girl gaped, mouth opening and closing and looking extraordinarily like a fish. Finally she spluttered, "How _dare _you…"

"Caroline, either you sit down, shut up and behave like a normal human being without the attitude, or you get out," Nick said simply "The choice is yours."

The blonde girl didn't move. She just stood there in the middle of the stage and stared open-mouthed, shocked. When she eventually did move she stormed off the stage and towards the door. As she opened it, she threw back at Nick furiously, "Don't think this is over. I'll be back. I'm going to talk to the headmaster and _he_ can deal with your… your… _ridiculous_ attitude!"

He really shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't. It would only come back to bite him on the ass. But he just couldn't resist the urge…

"Caroline?" he called just before she walked out. When he had her attention he smirked and said, "Just so you know. Jeff has an amazing voice. He's twice as good as you, to be honest. Probably even better than that."

Caroline looked as if she were about to explode, her eyes wide and jaw clenched, before she flounced out and slammed the door behind her.

The silence lasted for only a second more – a raucous cheer filled the room and Nick was assaulted from all sides by boys and girls all stunned and excited about the taking down of Caroline DuPont.

"Oh my God!" Wes laughed "That was _amazing_."

"I never thought anyone would do that!" David said in awe.

Kurt smiled. "That was pretty brave."

Sebastian wandered up, Thad in tow. The boy clapped Nick on the shoulder and said, "Someone's got some balls. About time too. I was about ready to kick her ass."

Nick got lost for a moment in a storm of applause and cheers, but when he resurfaced he found himself staring at a particular blonde who'd come back out onto the stage, watching everything curiously. He smiled at him and extracted himself from the knot of rejoicing teenagers – he was barely missed as he dashed up to Jeff and dragged him off backstage.

Alone, Nick turned to face Jeff and said with a grin, "That was true, you know. Your voice is way better than hers."

"Really?" Jeff looked up through his fringe, brushing it aside, and he couldn't _possibly _know how cute he looked doing it. His expression was pure confusion and surprise. He didn't believe it. Nick smiled and nodded. "Of course. And she should never have said what she did to you. It was cruel."

"Thanks." Jeff ducked his head as he replied then, in a quieter voice, asked, "You said a couple of days ago that I wasn't bad-looking. Did you mean that?"

He tried to meet Nick's eye but couldn't, and the brunette sensed that this was a pretty important topic for him. Somehow he managed to resist the urge to say, "Well of _course_, you're smoking hot!" and instead put a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Look at me?"

It seemed to take a lot of willpower for Jeff to force his head up and look him in the eye, and when he did he looked scared.

"Of course I meant it. You're damn good-looking in my opinion. I thought I might have scared you off before and I really didn't want to, because I want to ask you out."

Jeff stared, wide-eyed. He pushed away from Nick and shook his head. "Don't mess with me. I appreciate the compliments but please, don't do that."

"What, ask you out?" Nick frowned "You have a boyfriend or something?"

Jeff laughed, sounding hollow. "No. Like that would ever happen."

"It could," Nick offered, stepping a little closer "I'm going to say it straight out. Will you go on a date with me?"

The blonde stared at him. He didn't say anything for a long time, and when he finally did it was in a whisper. "Are you serious?"

Nick laughed. "Yes!"

The answer, when it finally came, was accompanied by a shy smile. "O-Okay."

"You will?" Nick grinned. When Jeff hesitantly nodded his acceptance, Nick ignored any sort of boundaries and hugged him. Jeff froze for a moment but slowly relaxed and gently returned the hug.

"Wow, I didn't see that one coming."

They broke apart at the sound of the new voice, and they looked up to see Kurt standing a little way away from them, smirking. Jeff blushed and looked away and Nick rolled his eyes. But before he could say anything, Kurt turned his attention to Jeff and said, "Was I right?"

Jeff nodded once with a slight smile and Nick raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something?"

Kurt laughed. "Jeff's had a crush on you for months. I knew you'd both be working in the musical if the rest of the Warblers had their way with you, Nick, so I figured it would be the perfect time to sort you two out. I got Caroline out of the way and convinced David to schedule Any Way You Want It – he had no idea what I was up to, mind you, he was too busy with his plan for Thad and Sebastian. I told Jeff that singing and dancing would be the best way to get you to notice him. After that, it was just up to you two to figure it out. I have to say though," Kurt finished, smiling "I didn't see the part where you stood up to the Queen of Crazy. Nice."

Nick shook his head, wrapping an arm around Jeff's shoulders. The blonde started but snuggled into it after a moment, enjoying the moment while it lasted. "So I guess I have you to thank."

"I guess you do."

Kurt started to walk away, but a sudden thought occurred to Nick and he called out, "How did you know Caroline was going to get sick? You couldn't have known if Breadstix was going to have a food poisoning outbreak that night."

Kurt turned his head just enough for Nick to see the smug, satisfied expression on his face and he frowned, connecting the dots. "You didn't…"

"Her and her boyfriend were the only unfortunate victims of a very unlucky accident at a dodgy restaurant. And no one can prove any different. It's a shame about the boyfriend though; he was actually kind of decent."

Nick shook his head as Kurt left. That boy really was a wonder. He looked down at Jeff, who smiled shyly at him. "Did you really plan all that?"

"I didn't plan on poisoning Caroline," Jeff said in his defence "But the rest of it? Kind of…"

"I'm glad you did," Nick laughed. "I'm surprised I never noticed you, but I'm glad you made the effort to get noticed."

"So am I."

* * *

**I know Rock of Ages is also a musical, but I decided to base it on the movie. **

**Is it a little sad that I have all the Warblers cast in ROA? Aside from everyone already cast above, I also put Wes as Dennis and David as Lonny. And Blaine as Patricia, so we can get some Seblaine thrown in there as well :D**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


End file.
